Mirror – Chapter 3
Michonne scanned the police station for a couple minutes without seeing her target and she was growing frustrated. She walked up to the counter. The two police officers straightened up. They are under specific orders to help this woman anytime she comes from their superiors.
"Excuse me. I am looking for Officer Walsh. I have some new information for him concerning a case that he's working on. My name is …"
"We know who you are Mrs Peters."
"It's Ms Moore. I don't go by that name anymore."
"Oh. I'm so sorry about that but we are aware of your case."
Michonne smiled slightly. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad one. She knows that there are some officers who think it's a waste of time and state resources but Michonne has to have hope…she needs to have hope and she can't give up.
"Is he here?"
"He hasn't come in for his shift as yet."
"Ok."
Just then Officer Walsh walked in the door. Michonne saw the officer's body stiffened and she followed his gaze behind her. Her heart leaped with joy and she rushed over to him.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Shane has had a rough day and he literally had to drag himself to the station for his shift. When he saw the woman briskly walking up to him, he couldn't help but feel annoyed. He wasn't annoyed at her but at the whole situation. She pushed the paper at him as her big brown eyes looking at him…hopeful. He was beginning to have knots in his stomach as he knows that she doesn't want to face the possibility of what the truth is. He took the paper from her and looked at it briefly.
"Wait here."
Michonne watched as Shane walked over to the front desk. She saw him speaking to the two officers and saw that they were arguing abit.
"That's an order!" he barked at them. "We leave in ten minutes!"
Shane walked over to Michonne and she saw the officers angrily walked off towards the back. He looked at the time.
"It would be dark by the time we get to August Valley but once it doesn't rain we will be ok."
He tried to put on a smile on his face but Michonne saw right through it. Ten minutes later, Shane escorted her toward the parking lot when the officers pulled up in front of them in an unmarked police truck. Michonne got inside and she saw that shovels, boots, rope, flashlight and other tools were in the back.
"Thank you for doing this Officer Walsh. I really appreciate it."
Shane just smiled at her.*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Carol sat in her car thinking about what Rick had told her earlier. She knows that the woman needs help and that by her just sitting in the waiting area crying her eyes out is just the first step in her asking for help. But the truth be told she doesn't want to experience what she did 8 years ago with a woman who was exhibiting exact same symptoms like Rick's mystery woman and to have the same result.
At the time she was managing a grief counselling group in Alabama. They knew she needed help as they recognized that she was a very extreme case and it was the first of a kind for Carol in all of her twenty years doing this job. They forced her to seek help when she wasn't ready to do so and the result…..the woman had a mental breakdown and she committed suicide.
8 years ago.
It was 1 am in the morning when Carol's phone began to ring. She glanced at the time through sleepy eyes and covered her head with the pillow to drown out the sound.
"Go away!" she grumbled.
The phone stopped ringing but then started up again seconds later. She ignored it as best as she could but when it was on its fourth ring set she answered.
"Hello?"
"Where the f*ck were you? I know you heard the phone ringing."
"What do you want Denise? This better be an emergency!"
"It's Ms Frederick again. She's here in the ER crying her eyes out and she's scaring the other patients and visitors in my hospital. You need to come here quickly. I'm the only thing keeping the hospital security from arresting her!"
"I'm on my way."
Carol stared up at the dark ceiling for a couple of seconds and then crawled out of bed and into the shower. The cold water jump started her body and ten minutes later, she was out of the door. On the drive over to the St Crispen's Children Community Hospital she remembered the details of Ms Frederick's case.
Three months ago her daughter died on the operating table and it was suspected that the surgeon on the case Dr Pete Anderson was negligent. There were eye witness reports that he was seen at a bar just before he reported for duty for his shift.
However, after a month long internal enquiry, he was cleared of all wrong doing in little Racquel's death. Ms Frederick's was devastated and rightfully so. Two weeks after the result of the investigation came out Dr Anderson was suddenly offered a consultancy position at St Crispen's sister hospital St Charles Children's Hospital in Manhattan.
St Crispen's was more than willing to release Dr Anderson from his contract immediately despite the legal ramifications of doing so. One week later after the offer was made Denise was sent to replace him and she have been dealing with the situation ever since. Dr Anderson never liked Carol and the feeling was mutual.
However she had remained cordial with him as she needed the list of referrals of persons who need grief counselling services after the loss of a child and hospitals are always a safe bet to get such. Carol had set up several grief clinics all over the state and it helped that she once worked for the gov't at a point in time.
When she decided to strike out on her own her previous boss managed to secure a six figure yearly grant to subsidize her which she gladly accepted. She had already set up five clinics and had only been in Alabama for one year when Ms Frederick's case landed in her lap.
Carol pulled up into the hospital's car park and when she entered into the corridor, she saw that it was cleared and two security officers standing guard over the distraught grieving mother. Denise met her halfway between Ms Frederick and the nurse's station.
"What hell is going on here Carol?! I gave her one of your cards and the pamphlets! You promised me that you would help her!"
"It doesn't work like that Denise. They have to come in voluntarily…of their own free will. I can't force her."
"Look at her Carol! This is an extreme case! This isn't normal grieving…even I know that!" She pulled Carol further away from Ms Frederick's earshot down the corridor.
"What do you want me to do?! You think I don't want to help her? I have spoken to her already…several times as a matter of fact. She knows the services that we offer, that she can come in or call me anytime! She just isn't ready to open up about her pain! I can't physically force her to come to the clinic! What part of that don't you understand?!"
Suddenly Ms Frederick started crying loudly drawing more stares from this crowd. Carol and Denise looked at her. She now dragged Carol into a private room.
"Look…I am sorry that she lost her child and yes in my humble opinion that investigation into Pete's action was bullshit. He is guilty of negligence and if it wasn't for his actions, Racquel would still be here. Now he is gone and I am now here. Besides being a doctor I am also one of the hospital administrators and my first duty is to my patients…all of them. Therefore I cannot have one patient causing untold emotional and psychological harm to the others because she can't or wouldn't seek help." She told a deep breath. "Either she talks to you Carol willingly or to the police unwillingly."
"You wouldn't!'
Just then they heard the loud cry again and a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Dr Bartholomew walked in visibly upset.
"What are you doing about this Denise? I have a patient who is complaining about the crying. This patient just came out of surgery."
Denise turned to Carol.
"I'm sorry Carol. She have been coming here for days and I can't let this continue. I don't want to do this but I will if I have too."
Carol watched helplessly as both doctors left the room. After gathering her thoughts Carol left the room also and made a straight beeline for Ms Frederick. She approached the distressed woman firmly but cautiously.
Ms Frederick…do you remember me? I'm Carol and I run a support group for grieving parents who have lost a child. I am sorry about your loss but you need to talk to someone about it. What you are doing right now is not helping you…it's not healthy." Carol stretched out her hand to the woman who just stared at her blankly. "Please come with me. I can help you."
For a minute, it appeared that she was getting through to her when suddenly she sprang to her feet and made a mad dash towards Denise and Dr Bartholomew close by. She was screaming at them.
"You people killed my child! Murderers!"
Before Carol could react the screaming woman is being wrestled to the ground by the security officers.
"Stop!" Carol shrieked at them.
The handcuffs were quickly placed on her and she was dragged to her feet and escorted out. Carol waited for the police to arrive and she followed them in her car back to the police station. Ms Frederick was put in an interview room and after much arguing Carol was allowed to sit in the room with her. She also got her handcuffs removed. Ten minutes passed in deafening silence.
"You have to talk to me now."
Ms Frederick just closed her eyes.
"I am not leaving here until you talk to me. You don't have a choice."
Carol knows that she was pushing to much but what other option does she have? This woman needs help and if she is not willing to acknowledge she is hurting bad enough and needs to talk to someone, then the only other alternative is that she will have to be forced. The woman's eyes opened slowly.
"You want me to talk?"
The tone of the woman's voice had changed. Carol was startled but she still tried to maintain a level head. She smiled.
"Yes."
"Ok."
Without warning Ms Frederick ran up to the wall and started banging her head on it. The first hit drew blood but she didn't stop. Carol dashed over to her and at the same time two police officers came into the room. After a brief struggle with the officers Ms Frederick violently grabbed one of the officer's gun and pulled it clear out of the holster. Everyone froze in their tracks. Panic soon stepped in when she put the gun in her mouth.
"Oh God! Please don't! I'm sorry for pushing you! Put the gun down please!" Carol begged.
A single tear rolled down Ms Frederick's cheek and mixed with the blood on her face. She closed her eyes and squeezed the trigger.*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~